CONSTRUCTION of the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project is expected to begin by late 2022, according to managing director of the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), Ivan Anderson.

Anderson, speaking with JIS News, explained that the bypass, which will involve the construction of 25 kilometres of roadway, consists of two segments.

These are the 15-kilometre Montego Bay bypass project starting from Ironshore and back around to Bogue Road, and the Long Hill bypass involving construction of 10 kilometres of highway from Montego Bay down to Montpelier.

“We have received the environmental permit and that allows us to proceed in terms of construction,” Anderson told JIS News.

“We are just about to start the design work for the project,” he told JIS News. “The NROCC team is currently in the field doing land acquisitions and surveys and issuing notices where people may be affected.

“That allows us to be doing more detailed surveys to establish exactly how it (the project) affects the people, how it affects the properties and, therefore, to be able to then do a valuation of the properties and make them an offer,” Anders said.

Anderson said the bypass to be constructed for Long Hill will address the challenges in traversing the roadway, including blockages for extended periods when it rains.

He said that the Long Hill bypass will connect with the Montego Bay bypass “and go all the way to Montpelier and cut out that difficult section of the road”.

The scope of works to be undertaken, the managing director said, is considered to be the first phase of the journey “to tie us back to Mandeville, where we are doing the May Pen to Williamsfield project”.

“So we’re starting at Montego Bay, going south to Montpelier and then we expect to continue that project further south by Santa Cruz, back up to Spur Tree and then all the way back around to Williamsfield, which will tie back to the rest of the Highway 2000 project,” he indicated.

Upon completion, Anderson said persons will be able to drive all the way from Kingston to Montego Bay along the Highway 2000 corridor.